Stopper for bottles.



No. 708.732, Patented Sept. 9, I902.

M. PITTS. v

STOPPEB FOB BOTTLES.

(Application filed Feb. 14, 1901.)

(No Model.)

172F635??? wzaz'yl azfs' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARY PITTS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STOPPER FOR BOTTLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 708,732, dated September 9, 1902.

Application filed February 14, 1901. Serial No. 47,210. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARY PITTs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Stoppers for Bottles, &c., of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to stoppers, such as corks, for closing and sealing bottles and jars.

It has for its object to provide a stopper which may be placed in the'neck of the bottle or jar and. sealed by a capsule or other suitable sealing device or material and which may, nevertheless, be readily extracted withoutthe use of a corkscrew.

To this end my invention consists in providing the stopper, which may be of cork or any other suitable material, with an extracting device which is secured firmly to the stopper and is adapted to be folded down upon the upper surface thereof, so as to lie closely thereupon or substantially in the plane thereof and without projecting beyond the edge of the bottle, thereby permitting the application to the upper surface of the stopper of a capsule arranged to overlie the 'eX-' which it is firmly secured to the stopper, and

the liability of its becoming detached therefrom is avoided.

In the accompanying drawings, Figural is a vertical section thereof. Fig. 2 is a plan view. 4

Referring to the drawings, a indicates a bottle, and b the stopper.

The extracting device consists of a ring or finger piece 0, which in the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is secured to the stopper near one edge thereof. The retaining device by which the finger-piece is secured to the stopper-consists of a narrow strip of metal d, folded down upon itself to make a loop which receives the finger-piece c, the ends of said strip being pointed to facilitate their insertion in the cork. As shown in Fig. 2, the ends of the strip 61 pass diagonally through the stopper,the lower ends lying near the opposite side of the stopper from that at which the finger-piece c is secured. The lower ends of the strip 01 are bent up, forming ,hooks e c, said ends being bent in opposite directions, so that the hooks project outward and penetrate the stopper from its lower surface to a considerable extent. The strip cl is forced into the stopper to such an extent as to bind the finger-piece c firmly upon the upper surface of the stopper without preventing it from rocking upon the stopper. By this construction the finger-piece may be turned at an angle to the stopper or may be folded down to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The length of the finger-piece is such that when turned down it does not project beyond the edge of the stopper opposite thatat which it is secured far enough to extend beyond the edge of the bottleneck. Where a ring is used, its diameter is substantially equal to that of the stopper. An important advantage of passing the strip 01 diagonally through the cork and securing it therein, as described, is that it binds the parts of the stopper together and prevents the disintegration thereof. When the cork is put in place, the finger-piece is turned down to the position shown in dotted lines and the bottle may then be sealed by the use of a cap sule, sealing-wax, or other suitable means. To remove the cork, it is necessary only to break the seal and turn the finger-piece up to operative position, when the stopper may be readily withdrawn.

That which I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A closure for vessels, comprising a stopper 1) a finger-piece c, and a retaining device secured in said stopper and extending, diagonally therethrough, and binding said fingerpiece pivotally upon the upper surface of the stopper and near one edge thereof, whereby device operating to bind the parts of the stop I piece to the upper surface of the stopper, per together and to prevent disintegration, said retaining device adapted to bind the 10 substantially as described. parts of the stopper together and to prevent 2. A closure for vessels comprising a stop- I disintegration, substantially as described. per, a finger-piece, and a retaining device se- MARY PITTS. cured in said stopper at a point between the I Vitnesses:

center and the edge thereof, extending diag- JULIA M. BRISTOL, onally therethrough and securing said finger- HELEN M. COLLIN. 

